The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-08-20


 past nine o'clock, Mrs. Robert w. Robson, Messrs. W. B. Keep, Henry A. Walker, Fred Tuttle, Keith and other leaders of Chicago society, were at the door with carriages to give them drive through the parks and boulevards; brief informal reception was held at the Calumet and Wash ington Park clubs, dainty lunch was tentered at Mrs. Roloson's, on Prairie avenue, and after an elegant lunch at the Richelieu, the party stepped on board magnificent special train on the Wisconsin Central railroad, where they were welcomed by General Pas senger Agent James Barker and his wife and handsome young daughters. They were joined on the train by Eu- gene Field, of the ChicagoNevs, Messrs. Baker and TiDgle, of the St. Paul Globe, and the TRAVELLER man. Messrs. Keep, Walker and Futile accompanied them part of the way-Mr. Futile, as far as Waukesha. At the city of heal ing fountains, the Saratoga of the west, we were joined by MT. and Mrs. George H. Yenowine, of Yenowine's NeecS, Milwaukee, who proved agreeable and valuable additions to the party. The excursionists were mt at the depot by carriages, into which they were marshaled by General Passenger Agent Barker, and driven to all the famous i springs ahd other points of interest about the town.
 At six o'clock their special car was attached to the regular evening train, and superb banquet, lasting three hours, was served in one of the Wis consin Central's finest dining cars. The tables were beautifully decorated with flowers, and just as the guests sat down to the tables, an official of the road entered with a huge basket containing exquisite bouquets of choice flowers, bearing cards with the names of all the ladies and the compliments of the Wisconsin Central company. through its general passenger depart ment. The banquet was one of the handsomest ever served on railway train ill this country.
 Sound sleep at forty miles on hour. and at seven o'clock Wednesday morn ing, July 20, we stepped off the train ill St. Paul, to be welcomed by General Passenger Agent Charles H. Warren, of the Manitoba railroad and escorted to carriages and driven to the magnificent Ryan Hotel, where an excellent breakfast was served by Manager Emerson. At 9:20 we were in Manitoba palace-car, speed ing toward the beautiful shores of Lake Minnetonka, twenty-five miles away, and in less than an hour were sauntering up the flower -decked lawn of the grand Hotel Lafayette.
 By this time we were all pretty well acquainted with each other, and, just at this breathing halt, it may not be out of place to give my impress ions of the company of strollers." Long association with a daily news paper taught me that people like to read of people. Even collection of names bears sort of charm, and I have known bright young men to read list of grand jurors, although 1t possessed no literary merit, with a keener and more tremulous interest than "Why l am Presbyterian" or "Why l am a Methodist" in the North American Rerse,o, could have awakened.
 | P. DOMAIN.
 To me, as he doubtless is to every one else, Colonel P Donan is study. He is too observant, and devotes him. self too much to the pleasure of other people to be eccentric, and yet he is unlike any other man. He was never familiar with any one, and no one was ever familiar with him. He is poet without peroeptible passion and a lit erary photographer without the scent of chemicals. He was never known not to say the right thing in the right place, and across his social life there has never fallen the shadow of re- proach. He is freak of letters, and, i'll his pen-worE, crowds glittering fancy upon the heels of capering gro tesqueness. He may bow gracefully to the rich, but he gives generously to the poor. To the former his words are chosen with conventional exact ness: to the latter he speaks with the unconscious tenderness of genuine sympathy. 1t is said that Proctor Knott got his Duluth speech from paper written by Donan, and the bet ter l become acquainted with Donan's work, the more am I inclined to be- lieve that the claim is we'll founded. If Donan has any special ambition he keeps 1t we'll concealed. He is known nationally, and he could, were he so disposed, do literary work of lasting nature, but he seems not to possess the drudge-like patience requisite to pro- longed effort nor the microscopic ex- animation of the molecules of charac- ter. His wonderful self possession his immediate mastery of every sur